Writer-producer Simon Kinberg also teased “Apocalypse” will be “a bigger movie” with four major “First Class” stars set to return

Good news “X-Men” fans: Bryan Singer wants to bring back fan favorites Gambit and Nightcrawler in the sequel to “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

“I’m excited because I want to start introducing familiar characters at different ages and also explore the ’80s,” Singer told Entertainment Weekly, which identified the two mutants who have already been featured in different installments of the 20th Century Fox franchise.

Singer is currently developing “Apocalypse” with producer Simon Kinberg, as well as “X2” writers Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty.

“Apocalypse,” based “somewhat” on a ’90s comic book series that features the titular ancient mutant villain, will star James McAvoy (Prof. Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) and Nicholas Hoult (Beast), as Singer says they all signed on board when they were cast in “First Class.”

“You won’t feel at the end of [‘Days of Future Past’] that it set up ‘Apocalypse.’ What it does is, it sets up possibilities. But what we’ll discover in ‘Apocalypse’ is that events in this movie made that happen,” Singer told EW. “‘Apocalypse’ deals with ancient mutancy. What would humans have thought mutants were? What would mutants think humans were? You’re dealing with gods and things like that. And what if one survived and what if that found its way into our world?”

“Days of Future Past” — which hits theaters May 23 — appears to be the biggest, most expansive “X-Men” movie yet. Kinberg says, however, that the title of the next movie naturally implies the size and scope can only get bigger.